Malle, Louis

(1932-1995)

   film director

   Born in Thumeries, Nord, Louis Malle, a director of influential and often controversial motion pictures, first studied film (1951) at the esteemed Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques in Paris. He began his filmmaking career as an assistant to the marine explorer jacques Cousteau. Together, they filmed Le Monde du silence (The Silent World), a documentary about undersea exploration that won the prestigious Palme d'Or in 1956. Malle's first feature-length work was Ascenseur pour l'echafaud (1957), starring Jeanne moreau. His next film, Les Amants (1958), cast Moreau as a housewife involved in extramarital affairs and established Malle's reputation for controversy. His portrayal of his characters with grace and sensitivity is apparent in Zazie dans le métro (1960) and in Le Souffle au coeur (1971), as well as in Lacombe Lucien (1973), Pretty Baby (1978), and Atlantic City (1980). The winner of many other film awards, Malle directed his most autobiographical work, Au Revoir les Enfants, with his last film being Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), in which, as in some of his other films, he blurs the distinction between life and theatrical performance. Malle was married to the American actress candace Bergin, with whom he had a daughter.